[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


A TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF DONALD KENNEDY, PH.D. ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 80TH 
                                BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 13, 2011

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Donald Kennedy, Ph.D., a 
highly distinguished American and treasured friend on his 80th 
birthday.
  Dr. Kennedy was born in New York on August 18, 1931. He earned his 
A.B. and Ph.D. degrees in biology from Harvard University, but left the 
East to spend his academic career at Stanford University, a jewel in 
the crown of the 14th Congressional District. He joined Stanford in 
1960 and was named Chair of the Department of Biology in 1964. In 1972, 
he became the Director of the Program in Human Biology, where he served 
until 1977.
  In I977, Don Kennedy was appointed Commissioner of the Food and Drug 
Administration by Health Education and Welfare Secretary Joseph 
Califano. After giving our nation the benefit of his wisdom and 
considerable talents at the FDA, he returned to Stanford in 1979 and 
succeeded Richard Lyman as President of the University in 1980. He 
served with dignity and distinction until his resignation in 1991. He 
was Editor-in-Chief of Science from 2000 to 2008, and is now the Bing 
Professor of Environmental Science and President Emeritus of Stanford.
  I've been privileged to know Don Kennedy for many years. He has been 
a friend, a mentor, and an inspiration to me and to thousands more. 
Generations of students have been the beneficiaries of his wise counsel 
and his scientific knowledge. We've been blessed with his ability to 
see the `big picture' and to make connections across disciplines. His 
early attention to the health consequences of environmental degradation 
was visionary and his commitment to changing policies to benefit the 
health of our planet is nothing short of extraordinary.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in 
wishing Don Kennedy, a patriot in the highest sense of the word, a 
joyful, family and friend-filled 80th birthday. May this milestone be 
just the beginning of more productive, creative and prolific decades. 
Don Kennedy is indeed a national treasure and it is a privilege to 
represent him and his wonderful wife Robin, and call them my friends.

                          ____________________